Best Enterprise Architect Certifications

Enterprise IT architect certifications appear most often at the apex of certification programs, where less than 1 percent of IT professionals ultimately ascend. Even so, many IT architect certifications are available, and you don't need to invest in one certification sponsor's vision to reach the top.

Many IT certifications in this area fall outside vendor umbrellas, which means they are vendor-neutral or vendor-agnostic. Nevertheless, the number of vendor-specific IT certifications exceeds vendor-neutral ones by a factor of more than 2 to 1. That's why we devote the last section of this article to all such credentials as we encountered them in search of the best enterprise architect certifications.

For those IT pros who've already invested in vendor-specific certification programs, credentials at the architect level may indeed be worth pursuing. Enterprise architects are among the highest-paid employees and consultants in the tech industry.

The national average salary per SimplyHired is $127,393, in a range from $89,778 to a whopping $180,767. Glassdoor reports $125,687 as the average. Ultimately, the value of any IT certification depends on how much time the individual has spent toiling and in what part of the IT patch.

Before you peruse our best picks, check out the results of our informal job board survey. Data indicates the number of job posts in which our featured certifications were mentioned on a given day. The data should give you an idea of the relative popularity of each certification.

AWS Certified Solution Architect

Making its first appearance on the leaderboard is the Certified Solutions Architect credential from Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS, an Amazon subsidiary, is a global-leader when it comes to on-demand cloud computing. AWS offers numerous products and services to support its customers including the popular Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). In addition, AWS offers numerous cloud applications and developer tools including Amazon Comprehend, Amazon SageMaker Batch Transform, Lightsail and more.

AWS offers certifications at the foundation, associate and professional-levels across five role-based categories: architect, developer, operations, cloud and specialty certifications. Foundation-level certification validate a candidate's understanding of the AWS Cloud and serve as a prereq to AWS specialty certifications. Foundation certifications are also a recommended starting place for those seeking higher-level credentials. Associate credentials typically have no prerequisites and focus on technical skills. Associate certifications are required to obtain Professional-level certifications which are the highest level of technical certification available. Specialty certifications focus on skills in a targeted area.

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect credential is available at the associate and professional levels. The associate-level credential targets candidates with at least one year of experience architecting and implementing solutions based on AWS applications and technologies. AWS updated the associate-level exam in February 2018 to include architecture best practices and new services. Candidates may still test on both exams until August 12, 2018. After that, only the newer exam will remain available.

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional targets senior AWS architects who can architect, design, implement and manage complex enterprise-level AWS solutions based on defined organizational requirements. Candidates should possess a minimum of two years' direct experience deploying and designing on AWS cloud and be able to translate organizational requirements into solutions and recommend best practices. The associate-level credential is a mandatory prerequisite.

AWS makes sample questions, practice exams, exam guides, white papers and more available on the certification home page.

CTA: Certified Technical Architect

In 1999, Salesforce revolutionized the world of CRM when they introduced the concept of using the cloud to provide top-quality CRM software. Today, Salesforce has more than 150,000 customers, earning the distinction of industry leader for CRM enterprise cloud platform. Currently, Salesforce offers solutions for various focus areas, including sales, service, marketing, commerce, community, productivity (Quip), platform, analytics, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence, mobility, industry (financial and health) and more.

To meet industry needs for qualified and experienced professionals who possess the skills necessary to support its growing customer base, Salesforce developed and maintains a top-notch certification program. It offers many paths to candidates, whether they're interested in administration, app building, architecture, marketing and so on.

Salesforce Architect certifications are hierarchy-based with most (but not all) lower-level credentials serving as prereqs for more advanced credentials. At the top of the certification pyramid is the highest credential a Salesforce professional can earn – the Certified Technical Architect (CTA) – which is also our featured Salesforce certification.

Specializations: These form the bottom tier of the pyramid. Salesforce offers eight specializations, four of which support application solutions, while the other four support system solutions. Application specializations include certifications for Data Architecture and Management Designer, Sharing and Visibility Designer, Platform Developer I and Platform App Builder. System specializations include Development Lifecycle and Deployment Designer, Identity and Access Management Designer, Integration Architecture Designer and Platform Developer I credentials.

Domain Architect: There are two Salesforce Domain Architect credentials: the Certified Application Architect and the Certified System Architect. The Certified Application Architect designation targets professionals who possess expert-level knowledge regarding Salesforce product functionality and features, while the Certified System Architect credential focuses on governance, integration and testing. Both credentials require the candidate to first earn their corresponding specialization certifications in addition to meeting other requirements.

Technical Architect: The Certified Technical Architect (CTA) is the highest Salesforce credential available. CTAs are experts in all Salesforce domains and possess skills necessary to design, build and implement Salesforce platform solutions. To earn the CTA, candidates must first obtain both the Certified Application Architect and Certified System Architect credentials or pass a single exam. Candidates must meet experience requirements and pass a rigorous board review, which validates a candidate's knowledge and skills in Salesforce competency areas, such as communication, development lifecycle and deployment planning, integration, solution architecture, data, security and systems architecture.

Salesforce requires CTAs to maintain current skills. Credential holders must pass maintenance module exams with each new product release cycle (typically in summer, winter and spring). While difficult to earn, the CTA is the must-have credential for IT professionals serious about pursuing a career in Salesforce technologies.

PLUS 5 years of implementation experience (must include development experience across the full software development lifecycle) 3 years of experience in an architect role 2 years of experience with the Lightning Platform (one year must be in an architect role while implementing Salesforce technologies and applications) Experience as a technical architect on multiple complex deployments OR equivalent knowledge through project participation Additional experience guiding teams on platform technology; identifying and mitigating technical risks; exposure to project globalization, object-oriented design patterns, platform-specific design patterns and limits; developing code on the Force.com platform; building and addressing security complexities, mechanisms, and capabilities on the Force.com platform as part of a functional security model; knowledge of data migration, design tradeoffs and ETL tools, large data volume considerations, risks and mitigation strategies, general mobile solutions and architecture, on-platform mobile solutions and considerations as well as project and development lifecycle methodologies

Number of Exams

One exam (four hours to complete; candidates must formulate, justify, and present recommendations based on a hypothetical scenario to a review board)

ITIL Master Certificate – IT Service Management

One of our favorite credential sets (and of employers as well judging by the job board numbers) is the ITIL for IT Service Management credentials from Axelos. Axelos is a global provider of standards designed to drive best practices and quality throughout organizations. ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) joined the Axelos family in 2013.

ITIL is a set of well-defined and well-respected best practices that specifically target the area of IT service management. There are more than 2,000,000 ITIL-certified practitioners worldwide. ITIL is perhaps the most widely known and globally adopted set of best practices and management tools for IT service management and support.

The ITIL Master credential is the pinnacle ITIL certification and requires experience, dedication and a thorough understanding of ITIL principles, practices and techniques. To gain the ITIL Master designation, candidates must possess at least five years of experience in the field of IT service management. The experience must have been in managerial, advisory or other leadership roles. In addition, candidates must possess the ITIL Expert certification. Once the prerequisite skills and certification requirements are met, the real certification work begins.

Upon completion of the prerequisites, candidates must register with PeopleCert, the sole approved Axelos Examination Institute, and submit an application. Next, candidates prepare and submit a proposal for a business improvement to implement within their organization. The proposal submission is followed by a "work package," which documents a real-world project that encompasses multiple ITIL areas.

The work package (1) validates how the candidate applied ITIL principles, practices, and techniques to the project, and; (2) documents the effectiveness of the solution and the ultimate benefit the business received as a result of the ITIL solution. Finally, the candidates must pass an interview with an assessment panel where they defend their solution.

ITIL Master Facts and Figures

Certification Name

ITIL Master Certificate – IT Service Management

Prerequisites & Required Courses

ITIL Expert Certificate

Five years of IT service management experience (experience must be in managerial, leadership or advisory roles)

Axelos provides documentation to guide candidates in the preparation of proposal and work package submissions. Available documentation includes the ITIL Master FAQs document, ITIL Master Proposal Requirements and Scope document, and the ITIL Master Work Package Requirements and Scope document.

TOGAF 9

A leader in enterprise architecture, The Open Group's standards and certifications are globally recognized. The TOGAF (which stands for The Open Group Architecture Framework) standard for enterprise architecture is widely popular among leading enterprise-level organizations. Currently, TOGAF is the development and architecture framework of choice for more than 80 percent of global enterprises.

TOGAF's popularity, in large part, reflects that the framework standard is specifically geared to all aspects of enterprise-level IT architectures, with an emphasis on building efficiency within the organization. The scope of the standard's approach covers everything from design and planning stages to implementation, maintenance and governance.

The Open Group offers several enterprise architect credentials, including TOGAF, Open CA, ArchiMate, IT4IT and the foundational Open Group IT Specialist (Open CITS). While we featured the Open CA certification in last year's top five list, the TOGAF certification moved up the job board ladder, earning its place among the featured slots.

The Open Group reports that there are more than 75,000 enterprise architects who are TOGAF certified. At present, there are two TOGAF credentials: the TOGAF 9 Foundation (Level 1) and TOGAF 9 Certified (Level 2). (The TOGAF framework is currently based on V9.2, although the credential name still reflects version 9.)

Candidates wishing to pursue a fast-track path to Level 2 certification may take a combination exam, which covers requirements for both Level 1 and 2. Training is not mandatory for either credential but is highly recommended. Training classes run between two and five days, depending on the training provider and whether you're taking a combined training class that covers both Level 1 and 2 requirements, or a single level training course. The Open Group maintains a list of approved training providers as well as a schedule of current training opportunities on the certification web page.

A number of resources are available from The Open Group, including white papers, webinars, publications, TOGAF standards, the TOGAF Foundation Study Guide ($29.95 for PDF; includes practice exam), practice test ($0.99 as PDF), and the TOGAF 9 Certified Study Guide. The Open Group also maintains a list of accredited training course providers and a calendar of training events.

Zachman Certified - Enterprise Architect

Founded in 1990, Zachman International promotes education and research for enterprise architecture and The Zachman Framework. Rather than being a traditional process or methodology, The Zachman Framework is what is more accurately referred to as an "ontology." Ontologies differ from a traditional methodology or process in that, rather than being focused on the process or implementation, they focus on the properties, types and interrelationships of entities that exist within a particular domain. The Zachman Framework ontology is focused on the structure, or definition, of the object and the enterprise. Developed by John Zachman, The Zachman Framework is the current standard for enterprise architecture ontology.

Enterprise Architect Educator Certification (Level 4): Designed for educators, the credential prepares candidates to develop and teach The Zachman Framework. To earn the credential, candidates should go through all educational materials related to The Zachman Framework, develop their curriculum and course materials, and present their course materials for review and approvals. While not required, Zachman recommends that Level 4 candidates obtain the Level 3 Professional designation.

Zachman credentials are valid for three years. To maintain the credentials, candidates are required to earn continuing education credits (referred to as EADUs). The total amount of EADUs required varies by CEA certification level.

Level 1 Associate: Exam fee included as part of required course Level 2 Practitioner: None, included as part of Level 1 required course Level 3 Professional: Not available Level 4 Educator: Not available

Live classroom and distance learning opportunities are available. In addition, Zachman offers webcasts, the Zachman Glossary, the Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture and reference articles.

Beyond the Top 5: More Enterprise Architect Certifications

One of this year's surprises was the strong showing of the AWS Certified Solution Architect certification which replaced the Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) credential. Despite losing its position in the top five, we still feel that the RHCA is a great credential, especially for professionals working with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from PMI continues to appear in many enterprise architect job descriptions. Although the PMP is not an enterprise architect certification per se, many employers are looking for this particular combination of skills.

Outside of our top five vendor-neutral enterprise architect certifications, which focus on more general, heterogeneous views of IT systems and solutions, there are plenty of architect-level certifications from a broad range of vendors and sponsors, most of which are vendor-specific.

The table below identifies those vendors/sponsors, names their architect-level credentials, and provides links to more information on those offerings. Choosing one or more of these certifications for research and possible pursuit will depend on where you work or where you'd like to work.

These architect credentials typically represent pinnacle certifications within the programs to which they belong, and function as high-profile/high-value capstones to those programs in many cases. Membership in the group of individuals who attain such credentials is often quite small but comes with tight sponsor relationships, high levels of sponsor support and information delivery, and stratospheric salaries and professional kudos.

Often, such certifications provide deliberately difficult and challenging targets for a small, highly select group of IT professionals. Earning one or more of these certifications is generally the culmination of a decade or more of professional growth, high levels of effort and considerable expense. No wonder, then, that architect certifications are highly regarded by IT pros, and highly valued by their employers.

Choosing the Right IT Architect Credential

Enterprise architect credentials will often be dictated by choices that your employer (or industry sector, in the case of government or DoD-related work environments) have already made independent of your own efforts. Likewise, most of the vendor-specific architecture credentials either make sense (or not) based on what's deployed in your work environment or in a job you'd like to occupy.

Though there are lots of potential choices IT pros could make, the actual number they can (or should) make will be influenced by their circumstances.

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